# Does everyone have a talent?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-have-a-talent/767738>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 5, 2016, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-have-a-talent/767738 "2016-10-05T22:58:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-have-a-talent/767738/41 "2016-10-07T16:39:19Z")

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> [@Machinaforce](#):
>
> I meant that out of many greats, some get that lucky break.

Luck favors the talented.

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**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-have-a-talent/767738/42 "2016-10-07T17:09:09Z")

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> [@Machinaforce](#):
>
> I would have to disagree with everyone that talent is natural, because quite frankly there is no evidence to support it. Mozart wasn’t a “genius”, he just had a father who was a composer who exposed him to music at an early age. His so called talent was developed as a result.
> 
> People don’t have anything innate or special about them I think. It’s a matter of what you are exposed to and when you continue to do. A skill practiced becomes talent.
> 
> But no, no one has talent. It’s made not natural. I also say that the “haven’t discovered it” but is just a dodge people make up for those with no obvious skill, it also propagates false hope.

Anyone with kids who reads this is laughing right now. Kids are so clearly hard wired in ways that are unique and different, you can’t believe they emerged from the same two combined DNA sets. The first big A-Ha!!! conversation I recall having with fellow young parents was realizing how much of our kids’ personalities were baked in. All we could do was influence on the margins. That has proven to be true as they have grown up.

Saying all abilities are acquirable is naive at best and silly with the slightest thinking. You sound like someone arguing for Lamarck vs Darwin. He’s the guy who said giraffes acquired long necks because they stretched them while alive and passed the stretchy bits onto their progeny. You go with that.

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**Author:** ![Melisande](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@Melisande](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melisande)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-everyone-have-a-talent/767738/43 "2016-10-08T00:40:03Z")

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I work in childcare. Most toddlers cannot move to the beat but every now and then you get one who does. Even a baby sometimes. They have ability that most other kids don’t. I was talking once to a parent about her 16 month-old’s quite striking aptitude for music and she was like “cool, whatever” so it’s not like it was trained.

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